Notes / Commercial Description:
Saranac Chocolate Lager is a sinfully delicious deep amber lager made with certified organic cacao from Belize. Our brewers looked far and wide for the highest quality cacao to create a smooth chocolaty taste that only comes from the most exclusive cacao plants. We used the roasted seeds of these decadent plants and perfectly paired them with caramel malt and German Hallertau hops to create a malty chocolate sweet flavor. You'll love savoring this beer with your favorite holiday foods or on its own for a delicious treat!

Pours out a fairly clear chestnut amber color, a little bit of a fine sediment visible. About one finger of off white head from a rather vigorous pour. Not the greatest head retention and only a little bit of lace that is quick to fall back into the beer from a swirl of the glass.

Kind of a strange meaty, cocoa aroma. Some toasted grain and lager like mineral yeast.

Light cocoa at first, cleaner than the aroma, cocoa becomes more noticeable towards the end of the glass as it warms. Along with some toasted, light caramelized grain and a bit of a mineral like lager taste. Hints of cocoa linger into the finish.

Light to medium in body, very smooth, drinks very easily.

I couldn't see myself actually buying this, but if I found it in a fridge somewhere, I'd probably drink it again. I wasn't expecting to really find any cocoa nib notes in this beer, but to my surprise there was some halfway decent flavors.

Taste is of doughy malt, a healthy amount of noble hops balance the sweet malts, alcohol is noticable, coco nibs come through and linger in finish. There is also a little bit of ripe melon in the middle.

Mouthfeel is medium with moderate carbonation, even a little hoppy bitterness.

This is a creative well made lager that is nice for a holiday variety pack. Its a change of pace to try and talk about at holiday gatherings. Probably not anything you would seek out on its own, but to have during a session.

A very dark orange color, it's almost bronze, though it's completely clear. A pale tan head starts off firm and rests right around a finger tall. It takes a bit of time to fade, eventually leaving a thinner foam that clings especially to the edges but keeps itself together. It leaves some spotting behind as it falls.
A somewhat metallic note, English-style though I don't think any English varietals are used, develops as it sits. The cocoa is definitely there, though. Otherwise it's toasty with just a touch of toffee-like sweetness and a ghost of leaf.
The flavor goes fruitier. While the cocoa sneaks through underneath and into the finish, I wish it was more of a factor. The toast, a touch of toffee and the leaf make up the foremost notes, with a touch of dryness at the end. It's a decent bock, with good balance, toastiness, and a malty base with just a bit of hops for balance and depth, but it could use a little more something, and the chocolate just is too subtle.
The feel isn't bad but is a little tinny as a tea-like leafiness, which also adds some dryness, comes through. It's almost medium-bodied, maybe barely, with a steady carbonation and even, moderate crispness.

Funny, if you blindfolded me and gave me this beer I would guess that I was drinking a Sam Adams Chocolate Bock. There is an unmistakable Raisin Bran flavor that is very pronounced in both of these beers. It's not bad but not what you'd expect from a supposed chocolate beer, although it kind of grows on you. Just average stuff. One bottle is enough.

Pours a deep amber or light brown with a quarter inch of off white, creamy, dense head that has great retention. The nose is yeasty with a typical lager smell and there are very faint notes of chocolate and roasted malt. The flavor is complex but a little unbalanced. There are notes of dark fruit, toffee, chocolate, roasted malt and lager yeast. There's a sugary sweetness that is intense. The dark fruit and toffee take main stage. The carbonation is spot on and the smooth, medium body help out the drinkability.

This isn't a bad beer. The flavor could use some balance and the sweetness is a little too much at times, but overall it's drinkable and enjoyable.

one of Saranac's home runs/touchdowns/holeshots...! hits on all cylinders, but mostly where it counts: taste. the chocolate plays off the maltiness perfectly, but there is a nice, not too subtle hop touch in there that keeps it bitter, much like a good dark chocolate. choosing that Belize cacao was spot on.

OK, so right off the bat, in case anyone reading this wondering, this beer is nothing like the sickly-sweet caramel porter. No, there isn't a big chocolate taste, but, this is a decent bock. Let it warm up a bit, and a dry cocoa comes out in the aroma and there's a light, earthy note in the flavor's finish. Of course, there's also a big caramel, toffee, and toasted bread crust barley character. It's less fruity than your average bock, but I like the cocoa replacing the usual sugars. The body is on par with your average lager, making it fairly drinkable. This is kind of a cool beer: balanced chocolate, tasty malts, and a slightly bitter hops finish. I'd take another.

this is a wonderful winter beer. hazelnut and chocolate flavor. great mouthfeel. precisely a chocolate lager. one of my favorite ive had for the past three years. if you like sweet beers you will love this. ive always been happy with any up state new york brew

Pours a crystal clear copper color with a small, tight beige head that settles into a sparse cap.

The aroma has a light cacao scent to go with a very subtle metallic note. There is also some buttery caramel notes and a bit of a grassiness from the hallertau as well.

The flavor starts off with a chocolate note from the cacao. It is a bit powdery. The base is a caramel amberish malt that packs some metallic and light grain flavor. A lime presence is detected from the hallertau hops.

The feel is light with very fizzy carbonation; burns a little bit. It does drink crisp but is a tad sticky. There is an odd bitterness in the finish, which I think comes from the combination of the cacao and the hops.

Not very bockish, more of an amber lager and the chocolate is light. An ok beer, drinks fairly well.

A- pours a medium-dark amber with a one finger head that dissapates to a small layer that sustains on top, no lace.

S- toasty malt with some caramel and cocoa nibs are noticable at first, but beyond that- grains and cooked sweet corn,and just a bit of spicy hops at the end

T- sweet cacao mixes with some caramel malt with a bit of hazelnut character. Underlying under the sweetness is a toasty character with some grain. There is a light herbal hop finish on the back end, the finish is quite dry.

M- medium body with moderate carbonation, leads to a foamy mouthfeel and a creamy finish

O- I appreciate that this one holds up the malt character expected with a bock, but the combination of this with the chocolate seems a bit unbalanced. It's worth a try however, as it is quite different. Wouldn't put it anywhere near Sam Adams Chocolate Bock though.

Bottle thanks Mikeg67. Poured a clear brown amber with a small beige head. Aroma and Taste is of mildly toasted barley, malt, some chocolate notes, mild bitterness. A medium body with moderate carbonation on the palate. The Finish is toasted grains some light chocolate flavor and mild bitterness. Seems a bit light on the chocolate flavor needs more chocolate. Overall an ok sessional brew.